Did you know? “Business owners can efficiently track inventory, improve space utilization, lower operating expenses, enhance customers’ experiences and tighten security by deploying digital sensing devices that make use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, Wi-Fi and smartphones.” -NAIOP

Business owners can efficiently track inventory, improve space utilization, lower operating expenses, enhance customers’ experiences and tighten security by deploying digital sensing devices that make use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags, Wi-Fi and smartphones. These devices, known generally as beacons and sensors, are nothing new in commercial properties; the ability to control temperature, track inventory and send advertising messages to shoppers through their smartphones has become commonplace.

However, beacon and sensor technologies are no longer used only for single purposes (e.g., motion sensors turning lights on in a conference room) but are increasingly linked through internet-based networks. The networks become ecosystems that can provide comprehensive information about a business or property (e.g., real-time information on temperature, people counts, goods movement and energy consumption). The large amount of data collected from these devices present opportunities to increase profit, but they also raise privacy and security challenges. Read More…